CARROLL TOWNSHIP – Nuclear energy is a costly failure, and Ohio and other states should focus on alternative energy, according to a report released Wednesday by an energy institute.

Upgrading the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station and other aged nuclear and coal plants around Ohio and asking the state to assess fees to help bail out the plants will ultimately cost power customers more money, said Mark Cooper, author of the report "Power Shift: The deployment of a 21st century electricity center and the nuclear war to stop it."

Davis-Besse's parent company, FirstEnergy, disputes the report's findings, saying nuclear power is a clean form of energy and a reliable source of power, FirstEnergy spokeswoman Jennifer Young said.

The study, by the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School, asserted that Ohio utility companies are not only seeking to subsidize nuclear plants but at the same time have increased their reliance on coal, which Cooper said is not a viable long-term energy source.

"FirstEnergy, contrary to almost every utility on the planet, has doubled down on coal in the past few years. In Ohio, not only are you looking at a nuclear problem, you're looking at a commitment to coal that is going to get harder and harder to sustain," said Cooper, senior fellow at the institute.

"The real question, I think, is whether or not there's going to be a commitment to moving forward with the alternatives. The vast majority of states have turned to the future," he said.

Davis-Besse is Ottawa County's largest employer and has more that 700 full-time employees.

FirstEnergy has applied to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio for the ability to add a charge to customers' bills that would subsidize Davis-Besse; a coal-plant near Steubenville, and other plants in which it has part ownership. The charge would fluctuate based on the profitability of those plants and could be an additional charge or a credit to utility customers.

PUCO will have a hearing on the proposal on July 27 at its offices in Columbus. American Electric Power applied for a similar plan earlier this year, but PUCO rejected it.

"If you look at these aging reactors, like Davis-Besse, what you find are the costs have been rising very rapidly," Cooper said. "The uneconomic side, or burden, is going to grow over time. This short-term bailout is only a down payment on what's going to be an ever-increasing subsidy over time."

Young, however, said the subsidy plan is expected to cost customers additional money during its first few years, after which customers would likely see a credit on their bills.

Davis-Besse went into service in 1977 and has had major upgrades in recent years, including replacing its steam generators and fuel rods in 2014. FirstEnergy is seeking a 20-year extension for Davis-Besse's operating license, which expires in 2017, and the improvements are expected to make the plant last at least that long, she said.

"All the big investments that are needed to extend Davis-Besse's life have been completed already," Young said.

Renewable energy, such as solar panels and wind turbines, has a place in FirstEnergy's portfolio, she said. Coal and nuclear power are not dependent on the weather, she said.

"You can't shift everything to that," Young said. "We firmly believe that a diverse energy portfolio is necessary to protect customers from volatility that comes with other forms of energy.

"Nuclear power does have a zero-carbon footprint. We believe it must be part of the country's move to a lower carbon profile."